Collection Development Policy Statement: Business |
This collection policy is intended to serve as both a planning tool for the development of the Gast Business Library collection and as a way of communicating information about the collection. With this policy, collection development librarians will work with consistency toward defined goals, creating a strong collection. It should guide faculty and librarians in making recommendations for additions to the collection.
Table of Contents:
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I. PURPOSE OR SCOPE OF COLLECTION
A. Curricular/Research/Programmatic needs: The primary purpose of the collection is to supply the literature and data resources needed to support the teaching and research needs of the faculty and students of the College of Business. In the following disciplines the level of support is through the PhD level in Business Administration: Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing and Supply-chain management. At the Masters level, a degree in Foodservice Management and an Information Technology Management degree in conjunction with the College of Engineering and College of Communication Arts are offered. Also, a Master of Science in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree are supported by the library. In addition, the collection supports the business-related needs of faculty and students throughout the campus in any department where a business-related course is offered. Finally, the Business Library is a resource for local business people, State of Michigan employees, and community users.The enrollment statistics for the College of Business average 4,800 undergraduates, 600 masters, and 100 PhD students. The faculty number 115. The college is a recognized leader in Supply-chain management and Logistics. The Hospitality School is consistently ranked among the top three nationwide.The MSU Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) is a federally funded program that promotes international trade and global competitiveness, by supporting scholarly activities in international business. B. History of the CollectionMSU Libraries business collection was included in the Main Library until the early Sixties the College of Business requested that a library be set up in the Eppley Center. Initially it was housed in the Teak Room on the first floor. As it outgrew the space, it was moved to the basement of the annex, where it occupied approximately 5,500 sq.ft. In 1985, an additional 1,500 sq.ft. were added. Until 1987, business was collected in both the Main Library and the Business Library. Since that time, efforts have been made to closely define areas of responsibility in order to avoid duplication. Economics has remained in the Main Library. Labor and Industrial Relations, including Human resources management and Organizational behavior, is in the Main Library collection.The collection was moved into the new Gast Business Library in the Law Building in 1997, which expanded the amount of space for the library three-fold. In 2001, the law collection was moved to the Gast Business Library. Although it is housed in the business library, the law collection remains the responsibility of the law bibliographer, Jon Harrison.Journal literature is an essential resource for the study of business. Both scholarly publications and trade publications have their place in the business collection. Because of the focus on currency and developing trends, this literature is very heavily used and important to the researcher. Monographic literature is also important. The collection should provide at least a core collection in all areas of business. Detailed subject statements will discuss specific subject areas.Electronic resources have become another dominant area of collection. Some electronic resources have print equivalents, and some are unique in that they exist only in electronic format. Electronic resources for each area will be discussed in discussion of the subject areas in Sections III4f and IV. II. FACTORS INFLUENCING COLLECTION POLICY A. Future trends Collection development must follow and, whenever possible, anticipate major trends in business. It must also monitor curricular developments in the Broad College of Business and in other departments when they impact the business collection. The business collection will continue to be an important part of the MSU Libraries collection. As the College of Business develops Executive Education, weekend MBA programs, and virtual classes, the issue of providing the use of library collections to distance learners will become increasingly important.The globalization of business will be an important influence in collection development, reflecting the reality of the marketplace. B. Relationship to other resources1. Government Documents This collection holds much information that is useful to the business researcher. Therefore it is important for the business bibliographer to be very familiar with the resources in government documents. Aside from basic reference works, there is very little overlap in collecting. One exception is the acquisition of STAT-USA, an electronic database from the Dept. of Commerce, which is essential for marketing research.2. Labor and Industrial Relations and Organizational Behavior See the Appendix for details of collection responsibilities in this area. The Business Library does not collect in the areas of human resources, organizational theory, or any of the LIR primary areas, except for works that deal with the management aspects of these areas within the framework of Business Administration.3. Main Library Reference It was practice in the past to have agreements with SSHR Reference concerning expensive reference works, which would be purchased by one unit and sent to the other unit when a new edition arrived. Known as “travelling reference books”, these were ultimately housed in Main stacks after being in the reference collections at both Business and SSHR. This practice is being discontinued for the following reasons:a. One site was using information that was not up-to-date b. Many business reference questions can be answered using the Internetc. It is more efficient to have all business resources in one place. It was decided therefore that for business questions, people would be referred from Main Reference to Business.4. Economics Economics is collected in the Main Library. Occasionally, some areas overlap with the business collection (transportation, an important logistics and supply-chain management topic for Marketing, is one example).III. ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT FIELD
IV. LEVELS OF COLLECTING INTENSITY
All subjects are collected at the research level. Doctorate degrees are offered in each subject except for Hospitality Business. A separate collection development policy for Hospitality Business is included as an Appendix to this document. V. COLLECTION MANAGEMENT ISSUES
The preservation policies of the MSU Libraries are incorporated into the collection maintenance activities of the business bibliographers. Materials are accepted with the understanding that not all items received may be added to the collection. The library reserves the right to dispose of unneeded materials by sale, as giveaways, or as an exchange or gift to other libraries. A donor may be asked to list journal titles and volumes so that the library can check holdings before accepting journals. The following types of material are normally not accepted: outdated textbooks, paperbacks, and books in poor condition. Donors are encouraged to discuss potential donations directly with a librarian prior to bringing gifts to the library. Page Coordinator: Nancy Lucas lucasn@msu.edu This URL: http://guides.lib.msu.edu/page.phtml?page_id=1708 Last updated: 04-01-2008 |